Rosh Hashanah Haftarah Reading, 1 Samuel 1:1 - 2:10
Rosh Hashanah
Shofar Blast
There is nothing like the blast of a shofar. It is a primal call, an alarming burst of sound, invigorating our bodies and rousing our souls. In some ways , it is more powerful than all the words of our liturgy combined. The sound of the shofar urges us to awaken to the serious challenges we face both individually and collectively, to rise up, and to act.
Bar’chu
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Before we begin to praise, we check in with ourselves: Am I awake? Am I prepared?
Before we begin to praise, we check in with God: Can you hear my voice? Can you understand? We arrive at a moment when we feel ready to pray. The unmistakable melody of Bar’chu reminds us that this is no ordinary time. The High Holy Days have arrived.
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Avinu Malkeinu
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Judaism’s understanding of God is multitudinous, with infinite metaphors implemented to comprehend that which is beyond comprehension. Avinu Malkeinu asks us to see God in two starkly different ways simultaneously. God is presented as both a parent and a sovereign ruler. We pour out our hearts to a God who is compassionate, intimate, grand, and powerful, all at the same time.
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Achat Sha’alti
[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]We begin with a niggun, a wordless melody, grounding us and preparing us for the spiritual work ahead. The words that follow are verses from Psalm 27, traditionally read daily during the month of Elul, preceding the High Holy Days. The psalmist speaks to a universal yearning, a desire to be close to the Eternal One, to dwell in a place filled with sweetness and delight.
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Mishkan HaNefesh: Shofar
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Mishkan HaNefesh, Rosh Hashanah, p. 136
As we are commanded to hear the blast of the shofar, we reflect on the emotions the sounds stir within us. This poem celebrates the sound of the shofar, placing the moment in our individual lives and the history of the collective Jewish people.
Shofar- The Voice of Community Belonging to Israel is in itself a spiritual act. ¬- Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel Blessed are we, blessed our gathering, as we open our hearts to the voice of the shofar. Happy are we who hear its call to return – the sacred trumpet of t’shuvah. Blessed are we held close by an ancient sound that echoes l’dor v’dor - from generation to generation. Happy are we who know its embrace, its season of celebration, its quest for connection and purpose. Holy is the gift of community, blessed the act of belonging.
Excerpts from Mishkan HaNefesh: Machzor for the Days of Awe © 2015 are under the copyright protection of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and used by permission of the CCAR. All rights reserved.
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Mishkan HaNefesh: Praise
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Mishkan HaNefesh, Rosh Hashanah p. 127
What constitutes a miracle? Do we reserve that word exclusively for events like the parting of the Red Sea? Or, can we see, as Whitman does, miracles in every moment of every day? How might our lives change for the better if we started seeing the miraculous and the divine in every facet of creation?
Why! Who makes much of a miracle? As to me, I know of nothing but miracles. Whether I walk the streets of Manhattan, Or dart my sight over the roofs of houses toward the sky, Or wade with naked feet along the beach, just in the edge of the water, Or stand under trees in the woods, Or talk by day with any one I love – or sleep in the bed at night with any one I love, Or sit at the table at dinner with my mother, Or look at strangers opposite me riding in the car, Or watch honey-bees busy around the hive, of an August forenoon, Or animals feeding in the fields, Or birds – or the wonderfulness of insects in the air, Or the wonderfulness of the sun-down – or of stars shining so quiet and bright, Or the exquisite, delicate, thin curve of the new-moon in May. . . . These, with the rest, one and all, are to me miracles. . . . To me, every hour of the light and dark is a miracle, Every inch of space is a miracle. . . . Every spear of grass – the frames, limbs, organs, of men and women, and all that concerns them, All these to me are unspeakably perfect miracles.
Excerpts from Mishkan HaNefesh: Machzor for the Days of Awe © 2015 are under the copyright protection of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and used by permission of the CCAR. All rights reserved.
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Majestic God, Today Enthroned המלך יושב על כסא
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Mishkan HaNefesh, Rosh Hashanah p. 138
This text focuses on a small but meaningful High Holy Day adaptation in the HaMelech prayer. It is a prayer which we do not recite in our regular Temple Israel tefillah, which makes this stirring depiction of God as a ruling sovereign all the more vivid and impactful for these Days of Awe.
MAJESTIC GOD, TODAY ENTHRONED המלך יושב על כסא Throughout the year, this prayer describes God
as HaMelech hayosheiv -- literally, "the Sovereign who sits [on a throne]." On Rosh HaShanah and Yom
Kippur, the wording changes to a dramatic proclamation: HaMelech yosheiv -- literally, "the Sovereign is
sitting [on a throne]." This small and often unnoticed change evokes the immediacy of God's presence of
the Days of Awe. These words announce: "Court is now in session"; on this day, we are summoned
before the Sovereign of the universe who sits in judgement of our deeds. Like all human images of God,
this one cannot be taken as a literal description. Yet it conveys the sense we share with our ancestors that
we are accountable for our actions, responsible to a Power beyond ourselves.
Excerpts from Mishkan HaNefesh: Machzor for the Days of Awe © 2015 are under the copyright protection of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and used by permission of the CCAR. All rights reserved.
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Mishkan HaNefesh: Setting Intentions
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Mishkan HaNefesh, Rosh Hashanah p. 138
The Hineni prayer is traditionally recited by the community's prayer leader, humbly acknowledging their inadequacy to properly lead the community through such a significant moment. This interpretation of the prayer is recited by the individual as they prepare for the High Holy Days and the soul-searching self-evaluation which lies ahead.
Here I am, one soul within this prayer community. Like those around me, I bring my own concerns and yearnings to this place, hoping they will find expression in the time-hallowed words of my people and in the traditions cherished by generations before me. May I bring the best of my energies to these Holy Days, approaching this spiritual work with open heart and mind, sincerity, and sustained focus on the deep questions of this season: Who am I? How shall I live? Where have I fallen short — or failed? This night I take up the challenge of the Days of Awe: chesbon hanefesh — a searching examination of my life, a moral inventory of my deeds, words, and thoughts. During the next ten days, let me face the truth about myself and listen to Your still, small voice. Taking comfort in Your promise that I am always free to change, released from staleness and routine, let me know the joy of beginning again. May I gain strength as I share this task with those around me, united by our common purpose: tikkun midot (improving our characters) and tikkun olam (repairing the world). I now prepare myself to pray — one soul amidst this holy congregation.
Excerpts from Mishkan HaNefesh: Machzor for the Days of Awe © 2015 are under the copyright protection of the Central Conference of American Rabbis and used by permission of the CCAR. All rights reserved.
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